Selective vending machine



Nov. 16, 1937. B E, MlLLS 2,099,344

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet l ff i i ,w

Nov. 16, 1937. B. E. M|1 5 2,099,344

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed July l5, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 B. E. MILLS SELEGTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1933 Nov. 16, 1937.

Nov. 16, 1937. B E, MILLS 2,099,344

SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jig@ Patented Nov. 16, 1937 PATENT oFFlcE SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE Bert E. Mills, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Mills Novelty Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application July 15, 1933, Serial No. 680,611

7 Claims.

This invention relates to vending machines and more particularly to that type of vending machines in which provision is made for selection by the customer of one of a number of different kinds of articles contained in the machine.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a machine of this character which is of simple, efficient and durable construction, andwhich is inexpensive to manufacture.

With this and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that .various changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

n Fig. l is a front elevation of a machine in which my invention is embodied, the front plate thereof being partially broken away to illustrate certain of the parts therebeneath;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane 2--2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section takensubstantially on the section line 3--3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view, partly broken away and showing the parts in a different position;

Fig. 4a, is a detail section taken substantially on the section line 4a-4a of Fig. 4;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one of the curtain-winding drums and associated parts at the top of the machine;

Fig. 6 is a similar Viewshowing the parts in a different position; and y Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the drums.

Upon said drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reference numeral II indicates a casing in which the machine is housed. A coin slot I2 is provided in the front wall of said housing and an operating lever or handle I3 protrudes through a slot I4 in said wall. A delivery opening or tray I5 is provided at the bottom of the casing to receive the package or article discharged upon an operation of the machine. A manually operable selector member I6 projects through an opening I1 in the front wall of the casing and a corresponding opening in a plate I8 attached to the exterior of said wall. The numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4, or any suitable markings, are printed on the front of said plate, and the member I6 has a pointer I9 thereon adapted to be positioned to point to any selected one of said numbers or markings. Said numbers servev to identify columns or tiers 2I of compartments adapted to contain packages or articles 22, there being four such columns in the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings. The packages or articles in the compartments of one column or tier will ordinarily be the same, and the goods contained in the several tiers will differ so as to provide a range for selection by the customer. Suitable ywindows may be provided in vthe casing, if desired, to assist in identifying the articles to be selected.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the selector member I6 is connected with a bracket 23 carried on a square shaft 24 upon which are also positioned a series of cam members 25, of which'four are shown in the present instance, it being understood that there will be as many of said cam members as there are columns of compartments. The shaft 24 is movable lengthwise by means of the selector member 23, and is provided at the end thereof, shown at the leftl in Fig. 2, with four round portions 26 adapted to be positioned in a square opening in a fixed member 21 forming a bearing for one end of said shaft. It will be evident that said shaft may be rotated when any one of said round portions' of the shaft is positioned in said aperture, and said portions are so related to the cam members 25 that one of said portions will be in said aperture whenever any one of said cam members is in operative position, one of said members being placed in operative position whenever a selection is made. If no selection is made, the square part of the shaft will be positioned in said aperture thus preventing. rotation of the shaft.

The several tiers of compartments are of similar construction, and the, mechanism for opening and closing the compartments, except for a common actuating device, is the same for each tier. Each such mechanism includes a cam element 28 adapted to cooperate with the corresponding cam members 25 on the shaft 24, said members being so spaced on the shaft that one thereof will engage its companion member 28 in each of the selected positions of the member I6 and shaft 24, but only one of said members will be in operative position upon any one actuation of the machine.

Assuming that the selection is an article contained in column or tier No. 4, the shaft 24 will be positioned as shown in Fig.2 with the cam member 25 at the right endof said shaft in engagement with the cam element 28 associated with said tier No. 4. A coin having been inserted in the slot I2, the handle |3 will be pulled down, thereby rotating the shaft 24 and also a member 29 carried on said shaft, which member is, or may be, integral with the handle I3. Said mem'- ber carries a roller 3| which cams on a lever 32 which is pivoted at 33 and has an extension 34 on the opposite side of the pivot 33, said extension being pivotally connected at 35 with a bar 36 which serves to pull down an upper pin (not shown) of a coin detector 31, thereby forcing a coin or slug past a measuring device contained in said detector and rejecting a slug or improper coin. The details of said detector are not shown, being fully illustrated in my copending application, Serial No. 679,533, led July 8, 1933, which matured on Feb. 9, 1937 into Patent No. 2,070,021. If a slug or unacceptable coin is in the detector device, it will be rejected without completing the stroke of operating member of said device. If an acceptable coin is in said detector, said member will complete its stroke causing a lower pin thereon to move a bar 38 downwardly, thereby turning a member 39 which is pivoted on the pivot 33 and moving a tail part 4| on said member out of the path of a .flange 42 carried by the member 29, said part 4| being adapted, unless so removed, to be engaged by said flange and thus prevent completion of the stroke of the handle I3 and the member 29.

If permitted to complete its stroke, said member 29, which is tight on the selector shaft 24, rotates said shaft, thereby causing one of the cam members 25 to engage the cam element 28 for the selected tier of compartments, turning a lever 43, which carries said member 28 on its pivot 44 and drawing downwardly a bar 45 connected to said lever 43.

When said bar 45 is drawn downwardly a dog 46 pivotally secured to a plate 41 which is carried on the upper end of said bar (see Figs. 5 and 6) rotates a ratchet 48 one step, thereby causing a partial rotation of a drum 49 with which said ratchet is connected, there being one of said drums at the top of each tier of compartments. A curtain 5| is secured to the drum at 52 and is adapted to be wound thereon when the drum is rotated in counter-clockwise direction (viewing Figs. 5-7) 'I'he curtain is movable in guides 53, secured to the rear of the side Walls 2| forming the tiers of compartments, and each step motion of the drum 49 raises the curtain the height of one compartment.

By reference to Fig. 5 it will be noted that the compartments are formed by inclined plates 52 extending between the side plates 2|. When said curtain is raised the height of one compartment, the package or article contained in such compartment will slide out and be directed into the delivery opening, or tray I5.

Successive actuations of the drum will continue to raise the curtain, opening one compartment upon each actuation.

The bar 45 is returned after each actuation by means of a spring 53 connected at one end to said bar and at the other end to a flange 54 on a fixed plate 55.

A wire 56 wound upon a spool 51 concentric with the drum 49 unwinds as the drum winds, the free end of said wire Abeing connected to a spring 58 which extends around a sheave 59 rotatably mounted in the lower part of the structure, the opposite end of said spring being connected to the lower end of the curtain 5|.- 'lhS bar 6I carried by the curtain 5I engages a dog 82 which is pinned to a lever 63 and yieldingly held against a lug 64 thereonby means of a spring 65 secured at one end to a lug 66-on said dog and at the other end to a lug 61 on the lever 63. Said lever 63 is pivoted at 68 to the frame part 55, and has an arm extending upwardly from said pivot, said arm having a cut-out 1I in the upper end thereof adapted to engage a lug 12 on the bar 45 to lock said bar out of action when said lever 63 is rotated in counter-clockwise direction by the action of the bar 6| on the dog 62. When said bar is so locked, the member 29 cannot complete its stroke because the lever 43 with its cam part 28 blocks movement of cam member 25, which is rigid with said member 29. In this manner actuation of the machine is prevented when all the compartments of the selected tier are empty.

When an acceptable coin is deposited in the coin detector 31 and an empty tier of compartments is selected, the operating lever or handle I3 and the lmember 29 can be operated only to the end of 4a partial stroke (being restrained by the mechanism just described) but such partial stroke is sufficient to push the coin past the measuring device in said detector, as above described. A pin 13, mounted on a leaf spring 18 secured to the coin device 31, extends into the coin chute in said device, and, unless removed from said chute, serves to direct the coin to a return tray 14. If the compartment is not empty, the full stroke of the member 29 causes the roller 3| to cam a lever 15 mounted on the pivot 33 thereby raising a bar 16' secured at its lower end to said lever 15 as indicated at 18 and having a slot 11 at its upper end for receiving a pin on the frame, a spring 19, secured at its lower end to said pin and at its upper end to a lug 8| on the upper end of said bar, serving to return said bar and the lever 15 to their normal positions. Such upward movement of said bar 16 causes a button 10 on said bar to disengage a head 8l) on the spring 10, allowing the spring 10 to move said pin out of the normal path of the coin, permitting a good coin to pass through the coin chute at the'right of the detector (viewing Fig. 3), and into a coin box (not shown). When said bar 16`returns to its normal position, the pin 13 is again forced into the coin chute where it remains until again removed in the manner just described.

A dog 82 mounted on the frame adjacent a toothed portion 83 on the member 29 cooperates with said toothed portion to prevent return of said member 29, once it has passed its partial stroke position, until it has completedv its stroke. A spring 84 secured at one end to saidf member 29 and at the other end to a lug 85 on the frame serves to return the member 29 and the handle |3 to their rest positions after the stroke has been completed.

In order to reload the compartments, the curtains 5I must be returned to their bottom position. This is done by means of a manually operable lever 86 which is positioned on the interior of the casing, being thus accessible only to one having a key to the machine. Said lever is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 5 by means of a spring 81 attached thereto at one end, and at the other end to the bar 45. vSaid lever has an arm 88 pivotally connected thereto at 88, said arm being turned upwardly at its end and having a slot 9| for receiving a stud 92 on which the ratchet 4B is mounted; Raising of said lever 86 disengages a dog-shaped end 93 thereon from the ratch 48 and also causes the arm 88 to move upon the stud 92 to the position shown in Fig. 6, thereby disengaging the dog 46 from said ratchet. The spring 58 then pulls the curtain down to the starting position.

When the lever 86 is released, the dog 46 is moved back into engagement with the ratchet 48 by means of a spring secured to the forward end of said dog and to a hook 95 on the plate 41, the latter being urged in clockwise direction by a spring 96 secured at one end to a lug 91 on said plate and at the other end to the frame Dart 55.

A dog 88 pivoted on the drum 49 and movable between stops 99 and lill thereon is adapted to engage a flange |02 on the top of the uppermost compartment when the drum reaches the intended limit of its unwinding movement to prevent the curtain from being pulled lower than its starting position.

The operation of the machine will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be evident that by simply setting the selector member I6 to indicate the column or tier of compartments containing a selected article, the curtain l for thatl particular column may be raised a sumcient distance to permit a package or article contained in one of the compartments to be delivered to the customer, the curtain-operating mechanism for each of the compartments being operable through a single coin device and operating lever. y

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description 'to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A selective vending machine comprising a plurality of tiers of open front compartments, a curtain for each tier adapted in its initial position to close all of the compartments thereof, an operating lever, means operable by said lever for moving a selected one of said curtains to open one of the compartments of a selected tier upon each. actuation of the machine, said means including a device for winding up said curtain, or

an extension thereof, as the compartments are 1 successively opened, selector mechanism for operatively connecting said lever/with the curtain operating means for any selected curtain, and means for causing unwinding of the curtain to close the compartments for reloading.

2. A selective vending machine comprising a plurality of tiers of open front compartments, a curtain for each tier adapted in its initial position to close all of the compartments thereof, an

operating lever, means operable by said lever for moving a selected one of said curtains to open one of the compartments of a selected tier upon each actuation of the machine, selector mechtion to close all of the compartments thereof, an

anism for operatively connecting said lever with the curtain operating means for any selected curtain, said curtain operating means includinga drum operatively connected with the curtain for winding up said curtain, or an extension thereof, as the compartments are successively opened,

plurality of tiers of open f ront compartments, a

curtain for each tier adapted in its initial position to close all the compartments thereof, an operating lever, means operable by said lever for moving a selected one of said curtains to open one of the compartments of a selected tier upon each actuation of the machine, selector mechanism for operatively connecting said lever with the curtain-operating means for any selected curtain, said curtain-operating means comprising a drum operatively connected with the curtain, and means for rotating said drum, said lastmentioned means including a member operable by said operating lever upon a full stroke thereof, a wheel spaced from said drum, and a spring extending around said wheel, said spring being connected at one end with the lower end of the curtain and at the other end with said drum.

4. A selective vending machine comprising a plurality of tiers of open front compartments, each thereof being provided with a movable curtain for closing the same and means individual to each curtain for moving said curtain to release an article from a compartment upon each actuation of the machine, mechanism for actuating said curtain-moving means, and means for selectively vconnecting said actuating mechanism with the operative relation to the curtain-moving means for the curtain of the selected tier.

5. A selective vending machine comprising a plurality of tiers of open front compartments, each thereof having mounted adjacent and in operative relation thereto: a movable closure forA each tier, a drum operatively connected with each closure, means for rotating the drum to move said closure a sufficient distance upon each actuation of the machine to permit removal of an article from a compartment, a spring connected with said closure, a spacing and spring tensioning device about which the spring or a flexible extension thereof passes, and a flexible connection between said spring and said drum whereby said spring is caused to exert tension upon the closure in one direction and upon the drum in the opposite direction; a common operating mechanism;l and means for selectively connecting said mechanism with the drumrotating means for the closure of any one of said tiers.

' i6. A selective vending machine comprising a Iplurality of open front tiers of compartments,

a curtain for each tier adapted in its initial posione of said curtains along the open front of said tier of compartments for opening one of the compartments of a selected tier upon each actuation of thefiachine and for holding the curtain in each position to which it is thus moved, selector mechanism for operatively connecting said lever with the curtain-operating means for any selected curtain, and means for exerting tension upon the operated curtain and for moving the curtain back to its initial position when said holding means is released, and means for releasing said holding means.

7. A selective vending machine comprising a plurality of tiers of compartments, each having a discharge opening and a bottc-'zn wal?. inclined downwardly to said opening, a closure for each tier adapted in its initial position to close all the compartments of that tier and to retain articles of merchandise therein, said closure being movable upwardly to unclose said openings one at a time and to thereby release said articles of merchandise, an operating device, means operable by said device for moving a selected one of said closures upwardly so as to release said articles beneath the lower extremity of said closure, selector mechanism for operatively connecting said operating device with said -means for moving the closure, and means for exerting tension against the closure.

BERT E. MILLS. 

